CH 67

Wen Li prepared herself mentally and opened Weibo as she narrowed her eyes.

Song Yan's Weibo account usually didn't have as much activity as the hot young influencers, especially the male influencers. Among his original posts, only a few were not reposts, and among those, there were very few that were not advertisements or promotions. Genuine non-advertisement, non-promotional, everyday posts were extremely rare.

Fans who had set special alerts for him or downloaded star-fan apps like "Xingfan Tuan" would receive pop-up notifications immediately after he came online or posted on Weibo, making it convenient for them to compete for the first likes or hot comments.

Two minutes after the software prompted that Song Yan had come online and he posted a new Weibo, which didn't include a topic or a link. It wasn't an ad content or a link, nor was it a long post. It was just a few simple words and a screenshot.

Before the fans could even see what the content was, the comment section was already filled with thousands of upfront confessions like "It's not an ad, I'm crying", "Brother, I love you!" and "Beauty, ahhh!"

Then they were pleasantly surprised to find out that it was a daily life post.

Song Yan:「She doesn't let me post. [Image]」

He attached a WeChat conversation with someone from just a few minutes ago.

It was evidently the conversation Wen Li had just had with him on WeChat.

Using the pronoun "she" as a reference without tagging anyone, and not even mentioning a name in the top remark of the chat screenshot, but instead using the animal name "Little Mouse", it seemed too simple to decipher. But when combined with the recent trending topic and the conversation's context, the fans were not foolish. Wen Li's remark about the movie "Savage Girlfriend" was quite striking.

This Weibo post was entirely controlled by fans, giving them the power to control the comments. The fans willingly handed over the control of comment moderation to the fans who shipped the CP.

「Daily life post!!! And it's an affectionate daily life post related to Sanli! My dear fans, I'm going to perish here today!!!」

「Damn, damn, damn! 'She doesn't let me post', what are you feeling wronged about! My dear, I never expected you to be this dramatic! awsl」

「Here comes the excitement! A historical masterpiece!!! @SaltGrainCoupleDailyBot」

「We also want to experience the 'savage wife' @WenLi Litchi」

「@WenLi Litchi, your husband has betrayed you.」

In the comments, the "@SaltGrainCoupleDailyBot" Weibo account was specifically created to document the daily lives of Salt Grain. Many CPs have similar accounts to conveniently introduce the CP's daily lives to new fans without them having to search for keywords themselves.

"Salt Grain Couple Daily Bot" primarily recorded daily Weibo posts. The last recorded daily post was two months ago when the show just premiered and Song Yan personally replied to a negative comment on Weibo.

In the past two months, Song Yan hadn't posted any daily Weibo posts, let alone replied to any comments. He didn't have that habit, to begin with. Wen Li occasionally replied, mostly joking and bantering with fans in the comment section, but she had never replied to any Weibo comments related to Song Yan.

Daily posts always faced a scarcity of material. Unlike other prominent editing fans who could generate their own content using advanced techniques, they couldn't employ their "nano eyes" to extract sugar from the content. Finally, today, they could showcase their skills. Rapidly responding to fan mentions, Song Yan's new Weibo post had only been up for less than fifteen minutes when a comprehensive analysis in the form of a meticulously crafted long-form post arrived, rivaling the rigor of a research paper.

Salt Grain Couple Daily Bot:「The Extracting Sugar Series of a Lifetime — A Shallow Analysis of Song Yan's Latest Daily Weibo Post」

「Today, there are five places where we can dig for sugar:

'No' and 'not deleting' are simple responses but reveal a strong possessive desire towards his wife. We dare to speculate that in places where the general public and his wife can't see, Song Yan will often take out this video of his wife getting drunk and repeatedly watch and admire it, proudly boasting, 'Hehe, only I can see my drunk wife'.

After Song Yan stated that he wouldn't delete it, Wen Li did not try to force him. For all the CP fans out there, please recall what kind of temperament Wen Li has. She readily compromised on her own drunk video. I ask you, if this isn't love, then what is it?

'Wild wife'. The reason a girlfriend is called 'wild' is because of love. Similarly, the 'wildness' of a wife is also an expression of love. The more savage, the more love. Ah, she truly loves him.

The nickname 'little mouse.' Wen Li is not a rat, so we boldly speculate that it's a playful nickname they use for their couple's role-playing.

And that concludes our analysis.」

「An analysis of Song Yan's latest daily post in the 'Extracting Sugar' series in a short five-word sentence and a screenshot surprisingly yields so much sugar! The army of Salt Grain CP fans admire your greatness!」

「I can only scream in excitement. Is this the gap between people?」

「Wow, this person must have scored full marks in the reading comprehension section of the college entrance exam!」

「If you don't become next year's top scorer in the liberal arts section of the college entrance exam, I won't accept it!」

「Sob sob sob, what kind of virtue and ability do I have to be able to ship a CP like you? *Kneels down*」

Wen Li: "..."

As Wen Li read through this comprehensive analysis post, she was left dumbfounded as the person directly involved.

Song Yan's first lovey-dovey daily Weibo post received strong support from CP fans, immediately sparking the trending topic #SongYanSharesLoveInDailyPost#.

The additional topics like #WildWifeWenLi# and #HowDeepCanCPFansDigForSugar# go without saying.

Regarding the "little mouse", the fans didn't know how she got that nickname, but Wen Li knew because that night when she got drunk and sang a cheesy love song for him, Song Yan gave her that nickname.

Just a second ago, Wen Li was still relieved that Song Yan didn't actually publish the video. The embarrassing incident of her singing a cheesy love song after getting drunk hadn't been exposed. But now, due to the analysis posted by the daily bot, the fans focused on this so-called nickname.

Wen Li had acted in TV dramas and participated in variety shows before, and fans had given her many nicknames, many of them related to animals, but never anything related to a rat. She was also not born in the Year of the Rat.

She has a distinctive appearance and an easy-going personality, which has nothing to do with the literal meaning of "little mouse".

Many people who read the lengthy analysis post by the daily bot rushed to Song Yan's comment section to ask.

「If Sanli is Beauty's little mouse, what is Beauty to Sanli?」

In just a few minutes, Song Yan, who was still online on Weibo, replied to the most liked comment:

Song Yan:「Cheese.」

At first, this reply left people confused, and the comment section was filled with question marks. But soon, fans quickly realized.

「!!! I think I understand now.」

「Everyone, it's 'Little Mouse Loves Cheese'!」

「Damn, I can't believe it!」

「I'm young, I haven't heard this song, but I'll search it up to know what it means.」

「Damn it! So cheesy! So sweet! I love it!」

「Ah, he's showing off! He's so childish!」

「I immediately guessed that Sanli sang 'Little Mouse Loves Cheese' to her beloved after getting drunk. Damn it, release the video!」

Being guessed right on the spot, Wen Li's heart suffered a heavy blow, and she immediately threw her phone away.

It was too scary.

Apart from that, Song Yan's successful attempt at shifting the fans' focus onto her was a beautiful blame-shifting move.

The comment section of Wen Li's latest Weibo post had already been invaded by CP fans.

「Hey, little mouse~」

「Welcome to watch the large-scale dog food movie 'My Wild Wife', starring Song Yan and Wen Li.」

「Sanli, you're being biased! We also want to hear 'Little Mouse Loves Cheese'!」

「Dare to get drunk but not dare to admit it. Sanli, you've grown up, huh?」

「Hand over the video! Resist domestic violence!」

In the nickname section of Wen Li's Baidu Baike page, in addition to "Sanli" and "Little Temptress" and many other nicknames, two more were added: "Little Mouse" and "Wild Wife". Song Yan also gained a new nickname: "Cheese".

As the instigator of all this, Song Yan not only felt not the slightest bit of guilt but, on the contrary, when Wen Li angrily sent him a screenshot of the comment section where he got himself involved, he casually replied, "We're one as a couple."

Translated, it means "If we're going trending, let's trend together. If we're losing face, let's lose it together."

Wen Li sent a voice message directly, cursing in anger.

"You showing chat screenshots to complain to the fans. Song Yan, I look down on you!"

Song Yan also replied with a voice message.

With a low and laughter-filled voice that was extremely childish and annoying.

"If you continue to be mean to me, I'll complain about you on Weibo."

"..."

Wen Li burst into laughter. How old is this person? Are the fans his parents or something? Complaining to the fans, how childish.

She played the voice message out loud, and Wen Wen, who was in the passenger seat, listened to it. She laughed so hard that her mouth stretched to her ears. She covered her cheeks with her hands and made uncontrollable giggling sounds.

Wen Li wasn't pleased, "What's so funny?"

"I'm laughing because Teacher Song has a little boy living in his heart," Wen Wen said with a smiling face, "Only in front of you, this little boy emerges!"

Wen Li looked terrified and spoke with disdain, "He's already so old, and you still call him a little boy? Wen Wen, is something wrong with you?"

Wen Wen: "..."

Forget it, she didn't want to explain anymore. The spokesperson for the steel factory wouldn't understand.

Wen Li didn't understand what Wen Wen meant by the "little boy" comment. In her mind, she had already firmly labeled Song Yan as "childish". When she finally made it to her acting teacher's place, Wen Li was looking at the lines of the character Song Yan was about to play. She had serious doubts about whether someone with Song Yan's childish mindset could portray an undercover agent infiltrating the enemy's lair and shouldering organizational tasks.

It wasn't until she went back and acted opposite Song Yan in the evening that she reluctantly dispelled her doubts. A person is a person, and a play is a play. Song Yan's immaturity is his own problem, as long as he doesn't let his immaturity affect the character. His masculinity index is still quite high.

——

Last night, Wen Li prepared sufficiently for the audition and stayed up practicing acting with Song Yan until midnight. She woke up early in the morning and did a set of aerobic exercises, feeling energetic and ready to depart for the audition venue.

Song Yan asked her if she wanted to have lunch together after the morning audition. Wen Li thought for a moment before agreeing.

Before leaving, she saw that Song Yan was also dressed and ready, looking like he was about to go out. She found it strange and asked, "Are you going to the theater so early today?"

"The theater is closed for the day," Song Yan said, "I'll accompany you for the audition."

During the early years when Wen Li was struggling, she had gone to auditions many times, usually accompanied by her manager or assistant. Later, when she made it to the A-list, she didn't need to audition for ordinary idol dramas anymore. Producers would negotiate directly with her company's team, and once the deal was set, she would go for makeup and photoshoots.

Now, Song Yan said he would accompany her for the audition, and she suddenly felt a sense of novelty, like a young child going to school with their parent.

Sure enough, when Song Yan got into the car, Lu Dan and Wen Wen were also surprised.

Wen Wen asked foolishly, "Teacher Song, do you also have an appointment with Director Qiu today?"

"No appointment," Song Yan said, "I'm accompanying Teacher Wen."

No wonder he didn't bring his manager or assistant. He even hitched a ride in Wen Li's nanny car.

Lu Dan raised an eyebrow and smiled, "It's good that we're going together. Wen Li hasn't auditioned alone for a long time, and I was a bit worried. If Director Qiu has any requests later, Teacher Song, you can lend a hand."

Wen Li interjected, "I'm not a newcomer. Do I still need help? Don't underestimate me."

Lu Dan knew her too well and casually said, "Mrs. Song, isn't it nice to have your husband accompany you? Can you stop being so stubborn today?"

Wen Li was struck by her manager's words. She pursed her lips and fell silent.

She turned her head, glanced at Song Yan, and arrogantly looked away.

Song Yan smiled faintly and casually said, "If you don't want me to accompany you, I can get off the car."

Then he acted as if he was about to get out of the car.

"Oh, no, I don't mind," Wen Li panicked and instinctively grabbed his arm, immediately instructing the driver, "Drive, drive."

Lu Dan and Wen Wen exchanged glances, understanding each other's thoughts without saying a word.

Song Yan chuckled, gently patting Wen Li's forehead and clicking his tongue.

"..."

Wen Li didn't want to pay attention to him. She silently took out the script and covered her face, pretending to read it seriously.

Director Qiu chose a hotel as the audition location, different from the place where other actors were being selected. The casting for the main roles was kept secret until the official announcement. Song Yan had also come to this hotel for his own audition.

The casting for a supporting role in the drama [Ice City] had dozens of candidates, but the auditions for several A-list actors were not scheduled together with them.

However, the entertainment industry is a big vortex, and unless it's kept completely secret, the news is bound to leak out. Earlier, there were rumors from marketing accounts that [Ice City] is a dual male lead script produced by Longtou Film and Television, with a top-tier director, producer, screenwriter, and team involved. The first and second male leads are both award-winning actors with lots of experience. The remaining third and fourth roles are for two female characters who form the main cast in the script. Even for actresses specializing in film, this is the highest-level resource opportunity.

Song Yan's character is one of the young male leads, positioned as the second male lead. The first male lead is a veteran actor among the award-winning actors, having been in the industry for decades and winning numerous awards.

The role that Wen Li is competing for is the fourth female lead. She plays the romantic partner of Song Yan's character. Several actresses have already auditioned for this role, and director Qiu Ping has been contemplating, unable to make a decision.

There were rumors that Tang Jiaren recently returned to China, and it's highly likely that it was for this role.

Among all the actresses who have been rumored, none of them have been associated with Wen Li. She is a top-tier actress with significant influence and has resources in her hands. If the role was not confirmed and it was exposed prematurely, it may cause widespread praise from fans but also invite ridicule from the public.

Wen Li put on sunglasses and a mask and discreetly got off the car. She inevitably began to feel nervous.

They arrived at the floor reserved by the production team, the audition venue was spacious. The staff led her to the dressing room first for makeup. Qiu Ping was quite strict and he did not allow actors to audition in casual attire for important roles. The makeup was also one of the aspects considered during the audition. Compared to an actor's acting skills in portraying the character, the immediate appearance and whether it fits the character can be assessed at a glance.

In theory, there should have been only one female actress auditioning for the role of Ye Yan today. However, when she followed the staff into the room, she saw another person being surrounded by the makeup team.

Tang Jiaren had already changed into a cheongsam, while the stylist was applying hairspray to set her hairstyle. When she saw someone enter, she turned her head slightly to take a look.

"My schedule has been packed recently and I finally had time to come for the audition. I didn't expect to run into you," she smiled, her delicate eyebrows slightly raised, and her tone gentle and warm, "Hello, Wen Li."

Wen Li didn't expect to encounter her either and politely responded, "Ms. Tang, hello."

"No need to be so formal. You're Ah Yan's wife, and we're old friends. Just call me Jiaren as he does."

Tang Jiaren's tone was impeccable, polite, and friendly, but Wen Li couldn't help feeling that something was off.

Regardless of whether or not there was any hidden meaning, it was best to retort with a sarcastic remark.

Wen Li shook her head, wearing an expression that said, "Who am I? I can't live up to this honor", and politely declined, "That won't do. I am me, and my husband is my husband. How can I address you the same way my husband does? Then shouldn't you start calling me 'honey' like my husband does?"

Seemingly surprised by her refusal, Tang Jiaren was speechless for a moment.

After exchanging greetings, Wen Li went to the back room to change clothes and prepare for makeup.

Tang Jiaren had already finished her makeup when the staff instructed her to go directly to Director Qiu's side.

She had a classical temperament, a slender figure, and the retro makeup on her face made her appear both cool and charming. As she walked towards Qiu Ping's location, the passing staff couldn't help but praise her.

As it wasn't convenient to enter the actresses' dedicated dressing room, Song Yan, who had been separately preparing with Qiu Ping, was chatting in the room. He was informed that Tang Jiaren happened to have free time today and came here for the audition.

The CEO of the investing company was also present today. He had come temporarily and only knew that two actresses were auditioning for the role of Ye Yan. With a curious expression, he asked, "Both of the actresses auditioning for Ye Yan today seem to have the faces of top-tier artists. I wonder who is better?"

"It's simple, just watch Tingfeng," the assistant director pointed at Song Yan, "Ye Yan is paired with him. When he looks at someone with a blank expression, we'll know who the better Ye Yan is."